George Hendy signs new contract with Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints can today confirm that explosive back-three player George Hendy has signed a new contract with the Club.

The 21-year-old has notched up 25 appearances so far for the men in Black, Green and Gold since making his senior debut in November 2021, scoring ten tries along the way – with four of those coming in 13 matches this season in all competitions.

Hendy first joined Saints’ Academy set-up at 16 years old, progressing into his first senior contract ahead of the 2021/22 season and making his first-team debut in a Premiership Rugby Cup fixture against London Irish.

This season has already seen Hendy notch up his highest number of appearances in a single campaign (with 11 of his 13 showings in Black, Green and Gold coming as a starter), before an injury sustained in December hampered his progress.

But as he nears a return to full fitness, Northampton’s Director of Rugby Phil Dowson is excited to see how much further Hendy can progress at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.

“This was an important season for George,” he said. “We’ve always seen glimpses of what he is capable of (the length-of-the-field try away at Saracens sticks in the memory in particular), but this year he’s become an incredibly consistent performer which is impressive in a guy of his age.

“He’s very fast, very powerful, and never afraid of running full tilt into contact. Over the last year, the time George spent playing at Bedford Blues was very beneficial – playing week in, week out and learning his trade, understanding more of the nuances of playing in the back three.

“He has come on leaps and bounds, and last summer he came back in for preseason absolutely desperate to make himself a regular starter for Saints.

“For the first half of the season before his injury, he did just that, and was influencing games in a big way on both sides of the ball – particularly in attack with his ability to run with the ball and beat defenders.

“George is also a great character in the squad; he takes a bit of stick but he’s got a great sense of humour and gets stuck in with the group, while also being a great professional in terms of trying to improve his game. He’s got a really high ceiling, so we’re thrilled to keep him at the Club moving forwards.”

At international level, Hendy represented England at Under-20s level, making his debut in the 2022 Six Nations Championship – crossing the whitewash once in three appearances. He also continued in the England side for the 2022 Summer Series, adding another four caps and two tries to his tally.

Hendy joins a lengthy list of players to already sign new deals with the Club, and is eager to continue his development on the pitch in Black, Green and Gold.

He said: “I’m happy with the opportunities I have been given here at Saints and the way my game has grown this season – I think that I am becoming a better player.

“To continue here with the coaching set-up and these quality players around me will only help me to improve, in particular Sam Vesty, who has helped me so much on the attacking side of my game.

“Lee Radford has also been massive for me in improving my defensive work, giving me lots of pointers around the tackle area and my positioning around the pitch.

“It’s really exciting to be involved in our back three at the moment. We have got some really talented players and know what we want to put out on the pitch. So, it is always good fun to run out there and play the rugby we enjoy playing.

“The results we’ve had also show how tight-knit a squad we are this year. Looking ahead, I want to put my foot down as a regular in the starting 15, and everyone has those international ambitions in the long term – I just want to keep getting better and keep on improving as much as I can.”